Twenty-four students in their first year of baccalaureate are selected to participate in a course that will allow them to deepen their knowledge of life sciences.

Today marks the first day to register for this new initiative, which is directed at students in their first year of baccalaureate who are interested in the life sciences.

“Crazy about Biomedicine” is a new programme organized by the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), with the support of the CatalunyaCaixa Foundation. It is aimed at first year baccalaureate students who are interested in and show talent in the biomedical sciences. The year-long course –from January to December 2013- will be held over 18 Saturdays in which 12 hot scientific topics will be covered, these ranging from cellular and molecular biology to structural and computational biology, and chemistry.

This initiative will give students the opportunity to further their knowledge of the scientific theory and techniques used in biomedicine. They will work alongside researchers to get a taste of what doing science in a top international research institute is like, gaining hands-on experience in the latest cutting-edge metholodologies, and positioning themselves for a potential career in the life sciences. The sessions will take place in IRB Barcelona laboratories as well as in the OpenLab of the Barcelona Science Park.

In order to participate, students will be evaluated on the basis of their academic grades, recommendations from teachers, a letter of motivation, and a personal interview. The application deadline is 31 October.

IRB Barcelona collaborates with other activities promoted by the CatalunyaCaixa Foundation, such as the Teachers and Science Programme and the Youth and Science Programme. The former seeks to improve the scientific instruction of secondary school staff through training sessions in the main research centres in Catalonia while the latter, which spans three years, aims to strengthen scientific vocation among secondary school students.

Given in English, the “Crazy about Biomedicine” course offers 24 places, which are free of charge.